“As long as justice is postponed we always stand on the verge of these darker nights of social disruption”...so said Martin Luther King Jr. in a speech on March 14, 1968, just three weeks before he was assassinated.

Tuesday, 20 December 2016

An off-duty cop in Turkey — whose address was already being raided by officials — murdered the ambassador as he was addressing a crowd.The killer — between shouts of ‘Allahu Akbar’ gave a reason for the murder, saying in Turkish: “We die in Aleppo, you die here” after he shot Anderei Karlov in the back. Police shot him dead on the spot after he wounded at least three others. He was 22 years old.

After killing the ambassador he reportedly shouted: “Don’t forget Aleppo, don’t forget Syria! As long as our brothers are not safe, you will not enjoy safety.

“Whoever has a share in this oppression will pay for it one-by-one.

“Only death will take me away from here.”

He certainly got THAT wish granted.

Prosecutors said authorities were raiding an address linked to the shooter and his family.

The assassination and aftermath were captured on camera, with horrific footage showing Mr Karlov speaking at a podium before falling to the floor as gunshots were heard.Photos showed the attacker standing behind Mr Karlov with his hands clasped before pulling out a handgun in his right hand and opening fire.The gunman extended his right arm and pointed the gun at Mr Karlov, and then gestured with his left index finger pointed into the air after shooting the ambassador multiple times.Witnesses were heard screaming in terror as they ran out of the art gallery, and the gunman was heard shouting slogans as he pointed his finger in the air and pointed his gun towards the fleeing crowd.Photos and video published online by Turkish media showed Mr Karlov and a second person on the floor after being shot at the opening of a photography exhibition called “Russia in the Eyes of Turks”.Three others were wounded as the shooting continued and people fled for their lives. — Mirror

This is the video of the event as it happened. Since it depicts the actual murder of Ambassador Karlov as it happened, be warned that it will be disturbing to some readers.

In recent weeks pro-government forces have made rapid advances on rebel-held territory in the devastated city of Aleppo, leaving many people dead or wounded.After rebels were driven into an enclave in eastern Aleppo after heavy bombing a ceasefire was brokered by Russian and Turkish officials.The deal included the ongoing evacuation of thousands of rebels and civilians, including women and children, from Aleppo to rebel-held territory in Idlib province in north-western Syria.Turkey’s relationship with Russia has been strained in recent years amid the crisis in Syria and after Turkish forces downed a Russian fighter jet along the border with Syria in November last year.Russia denied Turkey’s accusation that the fighter jet had entered Turkish air space.Since late June efforts have been underway to repair the relationship, with Putin and Erdoğan meeting a number of times. — Mirror